Blue hair does not naturally occur in human hair pigmentation, [1] although the hair of some animals (such as dog coats) is described as blue.
Some people (typically of East Asian descent) are born with black hair that is so dark that it appears to have a metallic blue luster. In Japan, the beauty ideal for a woman is to have glossy "blue-black" hair, [2] and Western foreign observers have also held this quality in high regard. [3]
The 18th-century English politician Charles Fox was a fashionable macaroni in his youth and tinted his hair with blue powder. [4]
In 1913–1914, just before World War I, there was a vogue for dyed brightly-colored hair in different shades such as blue, violet or emerald. This started in Paris and then spread to other cities such as London. [5] [6] [7] In 1924, the first celebrity hairstylist, Monsieur Antoine (Antoni Cierplikowski), dyed his dog's hair blue. An influential client, Lady Elsie De Wolfe Mendl, took up the same style and this started a new fad. [8] Later in the 20th century, mature ladies had a blue rinse to conceal grey hair. The Queen Mother was the trend-setter and the peak of popularity for this fashion was the period following World War II. [9] [10]
In the 2007 fall fashion season, designers such as Marc Jacobs and Duckie Brown dyed the hair of their models blue to give them a shocking punk look. [11] In 2011, the blue rinse became fashionable again and exemplars included Kate Bosworth with a dip-dyed style of turquoise tips while Thakoon Panichgul continued to present models with startling, all-blue hair. [10]
A synthetic dye used to color hair blue was 1,4,5,8-tetraaminoanthraquinone prepared as Disperse Blue 1 with water and lignosulfonate dispersant. This is a semi-permanent dye as the dye molecules do not penetrate the hair shaft and so wash out in subsequent shampooing. It is not used in the U.S. as it is thought to be carcinogenic. [12]
Beginning in the 2010s, and into the early 2020s, blue hair (and less commonly purple hair) has become associated with environmentalism, feminism, anarchism, communism, socialism, liberalism, abortion and the LGBTQ community, especially the young Generation Z and Millennial members of those socio-political movements. [13] [14] In response, supporters of conservatism in the United States and the Republican Party have started to use blue hair as a sign of an individual holding liberal philosophy, and some conservatives consider dyed hair, including blue, to be "danger hair", in that the dyed person's opinions are irrelevant and not worth listening to. First coined by users of 4chan, itself often associated with the alt-right, conservatives in the US began using "blue-haired liberals" as a taunt towards those who have "blue hair and pronouns". [15] [16] [17]
The hair of workers who regularly come into close contact with cobalt or indigo may become blue because of the dust of the substance mixing into the hair follicles. The colour in these cases is "not merely superficial." [18]
Some varieties of rabbit have been bred with blue hair such as the Belgian breed, the Blue of Sint-Niklaas. [19] This was a light sky blue in color with a white blaze. [19] Other breeds of blue rabbit are darker and there are about 45 different shades or textures recognised by show judges. [19] [20]
There are several breeds of dogs which may have a blue coat including the Kerry Blue Terrier, Bluetick Coonhound and Grand Bleu de Gascogne. This arises in two main ways: from a dilution or silvering of a black coat so that it is seen as blue-grey; or from a mottling or marbling effect which mixes black and white to be seen as navy blue.[ citation needed ]
The fleece of sheep may be a natural blue-grey, such as the Himalayan blue sheep, or may be dyed blue as a raddle or to make them more conspicuous in snowy conditions. [21] [22]
Oxen breeds referred to as Blue Roane were plentiful centuries ago (shades of blue) and some of that genetics somehow evolved into slight tinting of blue in some Holstein cattle.
The coat of several other animals is called blue, including those of blue roan horses, the Russian Blue cat, and the blue variant of the Arctic fox's coat.
Blue hair has been described as a "sacred aesthetic" in ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, where lapis lazuli was used in funerary art and statuary. [23]
Many colored pictorials from the Anglo-Saxon tribes after the departure of Roman troops feature women with blue hair. According to Gale R. Owen-Crocker in Dress in Anglo-Saxon England "the use of colour in Anglo-Saxon art is not realistic ... and there is no need to assume dye was used on the hair." [24]
Representations of the Buddha often feature blue hair, sometimes of a brilliant hue. [25] [26] This artistic convention emphasizes the blue element in the 'blue-black' hair said to be one of the 32 special physical characteristics of the Buddha. [26] Traces of ancient blue pigment could be seen in the hair grooves of some of the 4-6C Buddhas known as the 'Qingzhou Buddhas' found in an ancient schoolyard pit in China in Qingzhou (Shandong) in 1996, shown on exhibit in London and many other world capitals. [27]
In some works by Homer, characters are said to have dark blue ( kyaneos ) hair or eyebrows when they are angry or in an emotionally intense state. [28] For example, Odysseus' beard became black blue when he was transformed by Athena upon returning home to confront his wife's suitors. [29] Other Greek gods were also shown as having blue hair. [30] This imagery may stem from Egyptian myth, in which their gods were said to have hair of lapis lazuli. [31] [32] In a similar vein, characters from the Bible, such as Eve, Leah, and Rachel, are often depicted with a "sky-blue" color of hair. [33] Color in ancient countries (Greece and Egypt) were also more expressive rather than natural: blue or gold indicated divinity due to its unnatural appearance and association with precious materials.
The Fairy with Turquoise Hair is a major character in Pinocchio. She is often titled as the "Child with the Blue Hair" and even has a chapter in The Adventures of Pinocchio devoted to this title. [34] Literary critics have offered varied interpretations of her hair color. It may invoke associations with "the ineffable or infinite", with the Italian sky, or with the Virgin Mary, who is often shown with a blue mantle. [35]
The sci-fi/fantasy anthology, Once Upon a Future Time Volume 4, includes a short story, "The Blue Fairy," in which a woman with blue hair is accused of illegally creating androids.
The color blue owned aristocratic associations in Europe during the second millennium, and this linkage with blue blood was reflected in Charles Perrault's story of Bluebeard . [36] In Maria Tatar's view, the color of his beard suggests otherworldly origins. [37]
Musicians Loredana Bertè, Ashnikko, Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Halsey, and Alissa White-Gluz have dyed their hair blue alongside female rappers such as Latto.[ citation needed ]
The cartoon character Marge Simpson is depicted as having blue hair, as are a number of other characters from the show like Chief Wiggum and Milhouse.
Ed, Edd n Eddy has two of their visible set of characters being blue-haired: Marie Kanker and Rolf.
2-D, the fictional singer of the British virtual band, Gorillaz has natural blue hair caused by a head injury after he fell out of a tree as a child.
Jok Church's character, Beakman, also has blue hair, which is a throwback reference, according to the creator, to an older version of Superman, who also had a blue tint to his hair. [38] A similar case of bluish black hair can also be seen in Batman (Bruce Wayne) in his older comics. This “blue tint technique“ was very common to avoid any black hair to appear grizzled.[ citation needed ]
Anime characters sometimes have blue hair, including Bulma of the popular Dragon Ball series, Mana Takamiya of the Date A Live series, Sailor Mercury of the Sailor Moon series and Rei Ayanami of the Neon Genesis Evangelion . One author, in writing of Rei, sees her hair color as a marker of both her 'unearthliness' and her introversion. [39] Strong Bad, from the animated webseries Homestar Runner , lampshades this trend by stating emphatically that in order to be a proper anime character, "You gotta have blue hair!" [40] [41]
The 2010 graphic novel Blue Is the Warmest Color and its 2013 film adaptation features a lesbian relationship between a teenage girl and an art student with blue hair.
The Russian Blue cat, commonly referred to as just Russian Blue, is a cat breed with colors that vary from a light shimmering silver to a darker, slate grey. The short, dense coat, which stands out from the body, has been the breed's hallmark for more than a century.
The Angora rabbit, one of the most ancient groups of domestic rabbit breeds, which is bred for the long fibers of its coat, known as Angora wool. They are gathered by shearing, combing or plucking. Because rabbits do not possess the same allergy-causing qualities as many other animals, their wool is an important alternative. There are at least 11 distinct breeds of Angora rabbit, four of which are currently recognized by the American Rabbit Breeders Association (ARBA): the English Angora, the French Angora, the Giant Angora and the Satin Angora. Other unrecognized breeds include the German Angora, the Finnish Angora, the Chinese Angora, the Japanese Angora, the Korean Angora, the Russian Angora, the St Lucian Angora and the Swiss Angora.
Hair coloring, or hair dyeing, is the practice of changing the color of the hair on humans' heads. The main reasons for this are cosmetic: to cover gray or white hair, to alter hair to create a specific look, to change a color to suit preference or to restore the original hair color after it has been discolored by hairdressing processes or sun bleaching.
Grey or gray is an intermediate color between black and white. It is a neutral or achromatic color, meaning that it has no chroma and therefore no hue. It is the color of a cloud-covered sky, of ash, and of lead.
A gray horse has a coat color characterized by progressive depigmentation of the colored hairs of the coat. Most gray horses have black skin and dark eyes; unlike some equine dilution genes and some other genes that lead to depigmentation, gray does not affect skin or eye color. Gray horses may be born any base color, depending on other color genes present. White hairs begin to appear at or shortly after birth and become progressively more prevalent as the horse ages as white hairs become intermingled with hairs of other colors. Graying can occur at different rates—very quickly on one horse and very slowly on another. As adults, most gray horses eventually become completely white, though some retain intermixed light and dark hairs.
The winter white dwarf hamster, also known as the Russian dwarf hamster, Djungarian hamster, Dzungarian hamster, striped dwarf hamster, Siberian hamster, or Siberian dwarf hamster, is one of three species of hamster in the genus Phodopus. It is ball-shaped and typically half the size of the Syrian hamster, so is called a dwarf hamster along with all Phodopus species. Features of the winter white hamster include a typically thick, dark grey dorsal stripe and furry feet. As winter approaches and the days shorten, the winter white dwarf hamster's dark fur is almost entirely replaced with white fur. In captivity, this does not usually happen as animals maintained as pets are generally housed indoors and exposed to artificial light that prevents the recognition of short winter daylengths. In the wild, they originate from the wheat fields of Kazakhstan, the meadows of Mongolia and Siberia, and the birch stands of Manchuria.
The coat of the domestic dog refers to the hair that covers its body. Dogs demonstrate a wide range of coat colors, patterns, textures, and lengths.
Rabbit hair is the fur of the common rabbit. It is most commonly used in the making of fur hats and coats, and is considered quite valuable today, although it was once a lower-priced commodity in the fur trade.
The Dutch rabbit, historically known as Hollander or Brabander, is a breed of domestic rabbit. It is easily identifiable by its characteristic color pattern and was once the most popular of all rabbit breeds. However, after dwarf rabbits were developed, the popularity of the Dutch rabbit declined. Nevertheless, the Dutch rabbit remains one of the top ten most popular breeds worldwide.
Film tinting is the process of adding color to black-and-white film, usually by means of soaking the film in dye and staining the film emulsion. The effect is that all of the light shining through is filtered, so that what would be white light becomes light of some color.
Horses exhibit a diverse array of coat colors and distinctive markings. A specialized vocabulary has evolved to describe them.
Mini Rex is a breed of domestic rabbit that was created in 1984 in Florida by the late Monna Berryhill of Texas. The Rex mutation, derived in France in the 19th century, is recessive and causes the hair to protrude outwards from the body, instead of lying flat, and the guard hairs to be shortened to the length of the undercoat, or a bit longer.
The Argenté rabbit is one of the oldest breeds of French show rabbits. The British Rabbit Council (BRC) recognises six varieties: Argenté Bleu, Argenté Brun, Argenté Crème, Argenté de Champagne, Argenté Noir, and Argenté St Hubert. The American Rabbit Breeders Association (ARBA) recognises the Champagne d'Argent, the Crème d'Argent and the Argenté Brun. A rare variety, the Argenté Clair, is not currently recognised by either the BRC or ARBA.
Plush Lop is a breed of domestic rabbit with two varieties: Miniature and Standard. There is also a Canadian Plush Lop breed in development. Similar in appearance, the Velveteen Lop breed is also in development. Miniature Plush Lops were the first to be developed. Devie D'anniballe began creating this breed in 1995 in the United States. She succeeded in developing them by combining the previously existing breeds of Holland Lop, Mini Rex, and Mini Lop. Her aim was to create the perfect pet by retaining the good qualities of these breeds, while "breeding out" all the problems existing in these breeds.
The New Zealand is a breed of rabbit, which despite the name, is American in origin. The breed originated in California, possibly from rabbits imported from New Zealand. New Zealand rabbits are available in five colors recognized by the American Rabbit Breeders' Association (ARBA): white, red, black, blue, and broken. Crossbreeding can result in many other variations, such as gold tipped steel and chestnut agouti. They average 10–12 lb (4.5–5.4 kg) with the does being slightly larger than the bucks. New Zealands are bred for meat, pelts, show, and laboratory uses, being the most commonly used breed of rabbit both for testing and meat production. They are also bred as pet rabbits but mostly breed for meat.
Natural dyes are dyes or colorants derived from plants, invertebrates, or minerals. The majority of natural dyes are vegetable dyes from plant sources—roots, berries, bark, leaves, and wood—and other biological sources such as fungi.
Some hair is of a strange blue tint, unreal ...
The blue rinse hairstyle became popular in Britain in the 1930s, but grew to its peak after the war. The rinse was a dilute hair dye designed to reduce the appearance of greying hair. ...
Even in the case of Egyptian art, one reads of statues of human figures with blue hair, and in the case of early Greek art, the inappropriate Use of one color, blue appears to have been very common. ...
It was actually Marge Simpson. But the blue hair is really more of a tribute to Superman than to Marge, as much as I do love Marge. Superman/Clark Kent's hair was always black with a blue sheen to it.